


It's Tradition!

by sparkysparky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas, M/M, misteltoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2844128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkysparky/pseuds/sparkysparky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After months of searching, they're no closer to finding Bucky and with Christmas coming Steve is not looking forward to the holidays. Sam takes him home to his family, and shenanigans happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Tradition!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for [cptcarol](http://cptcarol.tumblr.com/) for the [Marvel Rare Pair Exchange](http://marvelrarepairexchange.tumblr.com). It's not quite what you asked for, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr at http://queenofsnowflakes.tumblr.com

By the time they got there, the latest Hydra base was nothing but a smoking pile of rubble. Sam thought that made it even worse; the fires were still smoldering so they couldn’t have missed Bucky by more than a few hours, a day at the outside. He could tell from the slumped set of Steve’s shoulders that he felt the same.

“Come on, maybe he left another clue.” Steve didn’t wait for an answer, and headed in through the gaping hole that had been a door. This particular Hydra base was in the middle of the damn forest; it was either very lucky or very deliberate that the fire hadn’t spread. Sam was betting on the latter. Bucky, or the Winter Soldier, was nothing if not deliberate in his actions.

Sam moved to follow Steve into the building, but before he could Steve came back out holding shaking his head. “Nothing in there?” Sam asked, knowing from the look on Steve’s face that if there had been anything in there it hadn’t been good.

“Just some ruined Christmas decorations,” Steve replied, putting his shield back in place and moving over to Sam. “We should go. There’s nothing here for us.”

Sam nodded, and fell into step beside Steve as they made their way back to the vehicle they’d left on the deserted logging road Northwest of the Hydra base. Snow crunched under their boots as they walked, neither saying anything until they were back to the car and well on their way away from the scene.

“You know, it’s Christmas Eve tonight,” Sam said from the passenger seat. He’d hesitated bringing up the holiday, knowing that Steve wasn’t in a state to really appreciate the holiday. Sam couldn’t blame him; he wasn’t feeling all that festive either. He waited a moment, but Steve didn’t respond. “My grandmother doesn’t live far from here. She’s invited us both for dinner, and I have to tell you Cap. I think a break would be good for you. We’ve been going nonstop for months.” Eight of them, to be exact, and they were no closer to catching up with Bucky now than they had been in April.

There was a long silence, and then Steve let out a long sigh. “Yeah, okay. You should be with your family on Christmas.” He looked over, gave Sam a small smile. “Is this the grandmother with the famous French toast breakfast?”

Relieved, Sam smiled back. “Yeah, that’s her. You’re in for a treat.”

“I’m not sure I’ll stick around. I can get a hotel room, give you time with your family.” Another pause, this one longer than the last, but Sam stayed quiet to let Steve say what he needed to say. “I’m not the best company right now.”

“Steve, if you don’t show up with me tonight, my grandmother will have my hide. She’s been prodding me to bring you around for months; I think she’s even put a stocking up for you. You’d be doing me a favor coming with, you don’t know how scary she can be if she puts her mind to it.”

Steve gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Sam was up to, but Sam just grinned as if he didn’t have a clue.

“All right. Can’t disappoint your grandmother, can I?”

Sam grinned, and settled in to give directions to the small town where his grandmother lived and his family would congregate for the holidays. It wasn’t far, and if they made good time they’d be there in time for dinner.

***

Steve tried to put thoughts of Bucky out of his mind as they pulled into the driveway that led up to Sam’s grandmother’s house. He wanted Sam to be able to enjoy his family, enjoy Christmas; he deserved that much after following Steve across the United States and back for the last eight months and nothing much to show for it. At least he knew Bucky was alive, and getting his memories back. There had been enough evidence of that in the few places they’d crossed his trail, but still Bucky eluded them. Steve had to think it was purposeful at this point; they hadn’t been subtle about trying to find him.

“Don’t look so glum, Cap. You haven’t seen Christmas until you’ve seen my grandmother’s Christmas.” Sam grinned at him, but Steve could see the forced cheer behind the smile. They both knew this wasn’t where Steve wanted to be, that Christmas was the last thing on his mind, but they were here now and Steve wasn’t going to make it harder for Sam than it had to be.

The door opened before they’d even reached the top step to the porch, and a small blur lunged at Sam. “UNCLE SAM!” The little girl bellowed the name even as Sam caught her midair. “YOU CAME!” The girl, no older than five or six, leaned back in Sam’s arm, apparently confident that he wouldn’t let her fall. “I told Mommy you’d come, but she said not to get my hopes up but I hoped and hoped and now you’re here and you brought Captain America, Owen’s going to be so excited.” She twisted in Sam’s arms and beamed at Steve. “I’m Sophie, and I’m six. Owen’s only four.” It was hard not to smile back in the face of such innocent excitement. Maybe this hadn’t been such a bad idea. “He’s my baby brother and you’re his favorite Avenger, but I like Black Widow best. Owen has Captain America pajamas, did you know? Uncle Sam got them for his birthday, and did you know that Uncle Sam has a matching pair?”

Steve looked at Sam, unable to keep the genuine snicker from escaping. “No, I didn’t know that,” Steve said, tucking the mental image of Sam in Captain America pajamas away for a later time. “I bet Uncle Sam looks great in them.” If Steve wasn’t mistaken, that was a blush on Sam’s cheeks. It was cuter than it had any right to be. Steve had long since come to terms with his attraction to Sam, though hadn’t done anything about it yet. There had hardly been time to sleep, let alone try to figure out if Sam felt the same.

“Come on, come on! Grammy took the roast beef out and it’s almost ready!”

“You heard the lady, let’s go.” Sam set Stophie on her feet, and she rushed into the house screaming that Uncle Sam was there. Sam moved closer to Steve as they entered behind Sophie and whispered, “Just stick next to me. They’re not as scary as they’ll seem, I promise.”

Steve was going to say he’d faced down Hydra, a family gathering was hardly enough to scare him, but they were surrounded by at least a dozen people before he had a chance. They were all talking at once, asking and answering questions, Sam jumping right in as if he knew what the hell was going on, and Steve could only stand there slightly dumbfounded. He did as Sam had suggested, and right now he was happy to stick as close to Sam’s side as he could.

“Uncle Sam! Look!” Sophie screamed, her high voice just barely audible over the din of the crowd. “You’re under the mistletoe with Captain America!”

There was sudden silence from the group, as they all looked up at the ceiling collectively, then broke into delighted laughter.

“She’s right, Sammy. Kiss the man, it’s tradition and bad luck if you break it.” The order came from outside the crowd, and Steve noted that it had to be Sam’s grandmother who gave it.

Sam looked like he was about to protest, but Steve stepped forward before he could. “I think we’ve had enough bad luck for a while; we shouldn’t chance more of it.” His heart was hammering in his chest, and he couldn’t believe that he’d been dreading this visit not even twenty minutes before. Ignoring the cheers from Sam’s family, he leaned in and kissed Sam very lightly, just a bare brush of lips before pulling back.

There was a moment of silence in which Steve wondered if he’d done the right thing, then Sam grinned. “That was hardly a good luck Christmas kiss, Cap. I think you can do better.”

Steve grinned and moved in to do just that, thinking that maybe this Christmas wouldn’t be so bad after all.


End file.
